Dainippon Screen Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Hiroyuki Shirota

Akira Kuwabara

Katsuyuki Hisaoka

Masamichi Cho

Kunio Tomohisa

Yasuo Kurusu

Shinichi Nagata

Light irradiation is performed on a strip region on a photosensitive material by main scanning of an irradiation region group on the photosensitive material where light emitted from a micromirror group of a DMD is directed and light is applied to a plurality of strip regions partially overlapping in a sub scan direction in turn while repeating the main scanning, to write a pattern on the photosensitive material. When a preceding irradiation region group and a following irradiation region group pass over an overlapping area, a part of micromirrors corresponding to the overlapping area, out of the micromirror group, are made inactivated. As a result, a cumulative passage time in which the preceding irradiation region group and the following irradiation region group pass each position of the overlapping area is shorter than a passage time where the preceding irradiation region group passes each position of a non-overlapping area.

Pattern writing apparatus and pattern writing method

A pattern writing apparatus comprises a DMD for spatially modulating light from a light source and directing modulated light beams to a plurality of irradiation regions, respectively, which are arranged on a substrate two-dimensionally. A pattern is written by controlling the DMD while scanning the plurality of irradiation regions. The plurality of irradiation regions form a plurality of irradiation blocks arranged in a column direction, in each of which irradiation regions are arranged in a row direction. In DMD, writing signal is sequentially inputted to mirror blocks to be used out of a plurality of mirror blocks corresponding to the plurality of irradiation blocks, respectively. When writing a pattern, an operation part determines the number of mirror blocks to be used where scan speed can be maximized, in consideration of required time for input of the writing signal to the DMD and light amount applied on the substrate.

Pattern writing apparatus and block number determining method

A pattern writing apparatus for writing a pattern on a photosensitive material comprises a head provided with a DMD having a micromirror group which modulates reflected light, a stage holding a substrate, and mechanisms for moving the head and the stage relative to each other. In the pattern writing apparatus, for pattern writing, an irradiation region group on a substrate, which corresponds to the micromirror group of the DMD, is scanned in a main scanning direction that is angled relative to the direction of arrangement of the irradiation region group. The irradiation region group is also intermittently moved in the sub-scanning direction by a distance shorter than the width of the irradiation region group in the sub-scanning direction, for pattern writing of the entire substrate.

A pattern writing apparatus for writing a pattern on a photosensitive material comprises a head provided with a DMD having a micromirror group which spatially modulates reflected light. Light from the micromirrors of the DMD are directed to irradiation regions () on the substrate, respectively. The irradiation regions () are moved over the substrate with movement of the substrate relative to the head. The DMD is provided within the head so that the direction of arrangement of the irradiation regions () is tilted relative to the main scanning direction, and a center-to-center distance (L) along the sub-scanning direction between two adjacent irradiation regions () arranged in the main scanning direction is made equal to a pitch (P) of writing cells () on the substrate with respect to the sub-scanning direction. ON/OFF control of light irradiation of each irradiation region is performed each time the irradiation regionsmove a distance equal to twice a pitch (P).

An image recording apparatus () has a stage unit () for holding a substrate (), an irradiation unit () having a plurality of irradiation parts () and a mechanism for relatively moving the stage unit () and the irradiation unit (). An irradiation part () is provided with a DMD having a group of micromirrors for modulating a reflected light beam and a micro moving mechanism for moving the DMD relatively to the irradiation unit () in the X direction, thereby microscopically moving an irradiation position of the irradiation part () in the X direction. The irradiation part () is further provided with a zoom lens, thereby magnifying and reducing an image of the DMD on the substrate (). By controlling a plurality of irradiation parts () parallelly and independently, the image recording apparatus () can write a fine pattern at high speed.

A laser drawing apparatus according to the invention calibrates the accuracy of a first light quantity monitor in detecting the quantities of laser beams, based on results of detection by a second light quantity monitor of the quantities of laser beams emitted from an imaging optical system to a drawing stage, when a characteristic deterioration of or adhesion of foreign matter to optical components of the first light quantity monitor has resulted in variations in the optical characteristic of the first light quantity monitor, and variations in the detection by the first light quantity monitor of the quantities of the laser beams. The quantities of the laser beams emitted to a printed circuit board (image-receiving object) is thereby adjusted to a proper value, to maintain high-quality, high-definition drawings requiring a high degree of light quantity precision.

Laser drawing apparatus and laser drawing method

The present invention is directed to a lens system for an optical beam scanner which scans a plurality of optical beams. The lens system comprises: a first lens group having an entrance pupil, which includes first and third lenses in the form of meniscus having a positive power, respectively, a fourth lens having a positive power, and a second lens having a negative power; and a second lens group including a fifth lens having a positive power. The first to fifth lenses are successively disposed in order from the entrance pupil side. Accordingly, the lens system has a telecentric and an f-sin.theta. characteristic.

Lens system for optical beam scanner

In an image recorder, a recording photobeam and a reference photobeam are periodically deflected by a polygon mirror in a main scanning direction. The recording photobeam is supplied to a photosensitive film while the reference beam is supplied to a transparent grating scale on which a transparent area and an opaque area are formed. The combination boundary of the transparent area and the opaque area has a portion parallel to the main scanning direction. The reference beam transmitted through the transparent area is detected, and the photobeams are deflected in a subscanning direction by an acoustic-optical deflector in response to the detected optical amount of the reference photobeam.

Scanning beam control system and optical scale structure useful thereto

The present invention is directed to a telecentric f-.theta. lens system which includes first and second lens groups. The first lens group includes: first lens set having an entrance pupil and a positive power first lens in the form of meniscus, a negative power second lens, and positive power third and fourth lenses in the form of meniscus. The second lens group includes a fifth lens having a positive power. The telecentric f-.theta. lens system therefore has a flat image surface.

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Kyoto, Japan

Hiroyuki Shirota